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By Jean WheelerOctober tends to a very busy month for Small Wilderness Area Preservation (SWAP), the dedicated group that works to preserve and showcase El Moro Elfin Forest. The volunteer work party, known as the "Weed Warriors," meets from 9:00am to about noon on the first Saturday of each month - October 3rd this month. Anyone is welcome to join in helping to pull obnoxious, invading weeds and working on projects to reduce erosion. Wear comfortable shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos. As a courtesy to nearby homeowners, avoid parking near driveways and mailboxes. On the second Saturday, October 10th, join Jim Royer at 8:30 a.m. in a quest to find and identify as many as 60 species of birds along the Elfin Forest boardwalk in a couple of hours. This walk is for those who just enjoy looking at birds, as well as for more experienced birders. The following day, observe Jim and a group of dedicated birders with spotting scopes at Bush Lupine Point. They will be identifying bird species from a 17-foot circle as part of the international, one-day, day-long Big Sit! birding event held every year on the 2nd Sunday in October. October 17th is the date for both the monthly 3rd Saturday Walk in the morning and the SWAP Annual Meeting in the afternoon. Biologist Rick Halsey will be featured at both events. He is the author of the book Fire, Chaparral and Survival in Southern California and is Director of the California Chaparral Institute based in San Diego. For the two-hour walk at 9:30, park at the north end of 15th Street (16th Street for wheelchairs). The walk starts where the 15th Street sand path meets boardwalk. The SWAP annual Meeting is from 12 to 2:30pm at the Oak Glen Pavilion at San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden in El Chorro Regional Park (across Hwy 1 from Cuesta College). Rick will be the featured speaker with an illustrated presentation. Pete Sarafian (SWAP Conservation Chair) will give a slide-illustrated report on the past year's projects in the Elfin Forest. Volunteers will be recognized, and light refreshments will be served. SWAP is selling The El Moro Elfin Forest 2010 Calendar, featuring quality photographic images accompanied by informative text. The calendar also features a flower of the month to look for when visiting the Elfin Forest. You can buy the calendar for $15 at Los Osos Rexall, Volumes of Pleasure Bookstore, Los Osos Flower Market, Miners Ace Hardware in Los Osos, Los Osos Chamber of Commerce, San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, and The Photo Shop on Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo. You can also call 528-1911 or 528-0392, or look for our members selling them at tables around town. Every calendar purchased helps to protect the Elfin Forest. Besides docent-led events, visit the Elfin Forest any day to experience the quiet natural beauty of this small wilderness area. Park at the north end of 11th through 17th streets off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. While October is minimal in colorful flowers, a few species which normally do continue to show some blossoms in these months are California Sagebrush (white), Dune Buckwheat Bush (white flowers aged to pink or rust), California Asters (pinkish petals and yellow central disks), Coyote Brush (white male and yellow female flowers), and Seaside Golden Yarrow. Fall bird migrants passing through, and winter residents settling in, more than make up for any visual slowdown of the flowering sort. Bush Lupine Point and Siena's View along the boardwalk are excellent vantage points to observe all five species of grebes, all four species of geese, all ten species of dabbling ducks, and at least seven of nine species of diving ducks known to occur in the waters near the Elfin Forest. All will be reaching or near peak populations for the year by the end of October. On land, the Elfin Forest itself plays host to brush or woodland birds either migrating through or wintering here. These include several species of sparrows, ruby-crowned kinglets, hermit thrushes, Say's phoebe, cedar waxwings, western tanagers, and pine siskins. |
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